Conditionalizing Images and Objects

SmartDocs allows you to conditionalize any type of object that you can insert into a Microsoft® Word document including images, text boxes, SmartArt, and embedded objects such as Microsoft® Excel spreadsheets.

When you insert an object into a Microsoft Word document, you can configure the layout of the object to be inline or floating:

An inline object resides in your document content and flows with your document text. An object is inline if its text wrapping option is set to In line with text.

A floating object resides on a drawing canvas and can be dragged anywhere in your document. An object is floating if its text wrapping option is set to Square, Tight, Through, Top and bottom, Behind text, or In front of text.

Conditionalizing Inline Objects

Inline objects can be conditionalized just like any other content in your document. Simply select the inline object and apply one or more conditional tags to the object using the SmartDocs ribbon or task pane. The inline object will be displayed or hidden as you show and hide conditional tags just like any other conditional content.

In general, it's a best to make objects inline whenever possible because inline objects are much easier to work with. You should only use floating objects if you need explicit positioning or you need text to flow around your object.

Conditionalizing Floating Objects

If you select a floating object and try to apply a conditional tag, SmartDocs displays a warning message stating that floating objects cannot be directly conditionalized. However, you can conditionalize a floating object using one of the options described below:

Conditionalize the range that the floating object is anchored to. In Microsoft Word, a floating object is always anchored to another object on a page, such as a paragraph or page margin. You can determine what a floating object is anchored to by turning on the display of Object anchors in the Word options. If you conditionalize the object that the floating object is anchored to, then the floating object will not be visible when the anchored object is not visible.

Make the floating object inline and place it within a transparent floating text box. Using this approach, you insert a new floating text box into your document, assign it a transparent background and border color, place your existing floating object inside the new floating text box, and then convert your existing floating object to be inline. By using this approach, your existing object is now inline and can be conditionalized as normal, and it is contained within a transparent floating text box that you can position anywhere on the page.

Tip

Make the floating object inline and place it within a transparent floating text box is the recommended approach for conditionalizing floating objects. While conditionalizing the range that the floating object is anchored to can be used, working with object anchors can be tricky. If you begin moving around a floating object then its anchor will also move if it is not locked; this can result in your floating object no longer being conditionalized even though you have not explicitly unconditionalized it.